Russia, Ukraine and the United States Hold Nearly Four Hours of Talks in Abu Dhabi, the First Three-Way Round Since February
The two-day session - the first trilateral meeting since February - centered on humanitarian issues and security guarantees, Zelenskyy said. Kushner said the U.S. side believed there were 'some good ideas how to bridge' the differences. Day two is Wednesday.
ABU DHABI - Three-way talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States opened Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates, the first such meeting since February, as Washington made another push to end the war that followed Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine nearly five years ago, the Associated Press reported. The first day concluded after nearly four hours, and a second round is expected Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the nearly four-hour talks were 'constructive and quite substantive,' and largely concerned humanitarian issues - prisoner exchanges, returning Ukrainian civilians in captivity and children taken from the country - with security guarantees also discussed, the AP reported from Zelenskyy's appearance at the University of Copenhagen. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Paris at the Group of Seven meeting, called the talks 'very productive' while adding: 'There's a lot of work to be done in that regard.'
Jared Kushner, who is working alongside U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to broker a settlement, said he believed there were 'some good ideas how to bridge' the differences, and said in opening remarks that the goal is to 'create a new framework and a new understanding building upon the different institutions and understandings of the past.' Rustem Umerov, who leads Kyiv's delegation, thanked the United States and said: 'Our people are waiting to end this war. And we hope that we will achieve the lasting peace for Ukraine.' Russia's delegation head, Vladimir Medinsky, expressed hope the meeting 'will allow us to advance on the path towards peace.'
The two sides' stated demands remain far apart, the AP reported: President Vladimir Putin wants Ukrainian troops pulled back from four regions Moscow annexed in 2022 but has never fully captured, a Ukrainian abandonment of its NATO bid and strict limits on its military; Zelenskyy rejects ceding territory or accepting limits, and argues an immediate ceasefire is the necessary first step. The talks also ran against live fighting - Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 162 drones and a ballistic missile overnight, and Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces downed 155 Ukrainian drones. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday night that 'I don't have overly high expectations' for the talks.
